Results 1 to 23 of 23
  1. #1

    Colocation brokers?

    Could anyone recommend any good colocation brokerage services (someone specializing in southern california would be great but not required), searching google has returned a ton of non-responsive websites that are either half-working, abandoned, or do not respond to emails. I'm already aware of quotecolo i just wanted to know if there are any others I can get in contact with as well? Thanks!
      0 Not allowed!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    /dev/null
    Posts
    2,132
    datacentermap.com may be your other best option.
      0 Not allowed!

  3. #3
    You can always check here as well: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131
      0 Not allowed!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Support Ticket Near You!
    Posts
    1,106
    advancedcolocation.com - speak to Carl.

    Have been awesome so far and very responsive.
    HostGuard.net - VPS Control Panel
    Automating and monitoring your hosting business.
      0 Not allowed!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    76
    quotecolo.com , wiredre.com, colotraq.com, coloadvisor.com all are good but wiredre is west coast.
      0 Not allowed!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Reston, VA
    Posts
    3,131
    pickup the phone and call the datacenters yourself? Only thing a broker is good at is opening their mouth and collecting a commission. 99% of the time they will point you to whoever pays them the biggest payday.
    Yellow Fiber Networks
    http://www.yellowfiber.net : Managed Solutions - Colocation - Network Services IPv4/IPv6
    Ashburn/Denver/NYC/Dallas/Chicago Markets Served zak@yellowfiber.net
      0 Not allowed!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    151
    Quote Originally Posted by Spudstr View Post
    pickup the phone and call the datacenters yourself? Only thing a broker is good at is opening their mouth and collecting a commission. 99% of the time they will point you to whoever pays them the biggest payday.
    I think you are generalizing a bit too much here, although some might work that way I really doubt that 99% refer their customers based on who pays best - and brokers do have value to add as well.

    Often brokers will have experience with multiple providers in an area, knowing which are easy to work with, who lives up to the clients requirements, who has capacity, who is best suited for special kinds of needs and so on. This knowledge can save the client from having to invest a lot of time and learning things the hard way on their own.

    Furthermore some larger companies prefer to be anonymous when they are in the initial stages of examining potential providers and gathering prices, in such cases brokers are also a great option.
    Sune Christesen
    Data Center Map - Worldwide colocation, cloud and carrier index with interactive map.
      0 Not allowed!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Reston
    Posts
    305
    Some people just chirp because they don't have any real value to add...


    Anyhow, give Colotraq a call, they work with a lot of companies and maybe they can point you to a few in SoCal.
    Dan Buyer
    InfoRelay - Connected, Protected, Perfected.
    Equinix LAX & DC, One Wilshire, Wilshire Annex, MPT, VE, 1275K, Reston Exchange, Reston Equinix, 60 Hudson, NYC, and Chicago
    www.inforelay.com
      0 Not allowed!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Reston, VA
    Posts
    3,131
    Quote Originally Posted by FeliXdk View Post
    I think you are generalizing a bit too much here, although some might work that way I really doubt that 99% refer their customers based on who pays best - and brokers do have value to add as well.

    Often brokers will have experience with multiple providers in an area, knowing which are easy to work with, who lives up to the clients requirements, who has capacity, who is best suited for special kinds of needs and so on. This knowledge can save the client from having to invest a lot of time and learning things the hard way on their own.

    Furthermore some larger companies prefer to be anonymous when they are in the initial stages of examining potential providers and gathering prices, in such cases brokers are also a great option.
    I have seen in several places in one which case in particular DFT was going against vantage which isn't even apples to apples but the broker persuaded the deal beause he got paid by far more from vantage. This wasn't a sub 100kW deal this was a mutli megawatt deal, since then the tenant learned their lesson and wont be renewing and going direct with the datacenter instead of going with a broker.

    I have seen lots of brokers in similar industries who will simply switch their customers service to a new provider simply because they will get paid more and don't care about the quality of the product. Hell we have even been told this by brokers pay them more or they will have their customer leave.

    Maybe your firm is different but we have seen nothing but problems coming from brokers, after all all they are there for is the paycheck and have no vested interest in the supporting infrastructure behind anything.
    Yellow Fiber Networks
    http://www.yellowfiber.net : Managed Solutions - Colocation - Network Services IPv4/IPv6
    Ashburn/Denver/NYC/Dallas/Chicago Markets Served zak@yellowfiber.net
      0 Not allowed!

  10. #10
    Yellow Fiber shouldnt be using a broker if they feel this way.

    Datacenterandcolocation.com is based in CA. John Giaquinta is a good guy.
    http://www.QuoteColo.com - Colocation, Miner Hosting, Dedicated and Cloud Hosting Quotes
      0 Not allowed!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    391
    Quote Originally Posted by Spudstr View Post
    Maybe your firm is different but we have seen nothing but problems coming from brokers, after all all they are there for is the paycheck and have no vested interest in the supporting infrastructure behind anything.
    Maybe yours is a unique situation. But painting a broad stroke like that is unfair to those who work hard and bring value.
      0 Not allowed!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Chicagoland
    Posts
    41
    I like working with brokers. Specifically, I have found Quotecolo.com to be a great partner.

    We focus exclusively on providing high density solutions, 10-40kW per cabinet. Our internal sales team does a good job identifying opportunities in that space. My relationship with Bob @ QuoteColo.com, who has actually taken the time to learn what opportunities are a good fit for us, augments our own prospecting efforts by presenting opportunities that otherwise I might have never known about. Many times these leads don't pan out. Sometimes, during the pre-sales qualification process, we discover that our solutions are not the best fit for the potential client's requirments. Ultimately the decision to agressively pursue the business is made by me. At least I know the opportunity exists.

    Another thing I find to be an advantage to working with brokers is the fact that typically the leads are presented to many providers. I saw that mentioned earlier in this thread as a disadvantage. Having a facility that shows very well and posessing capabilities beyond what is available at many of the Data Centers I compete with, I find it helps the sales process if the potential client has looked around the local landscape a little and has a reasonable feel for what is available in the area before they engage with us.

    Like everything else in business, I guess it depends on who you deal with.
      0 Not allowed!

  13. #13
      0 Not allowed!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    The great Beaverton :)
    Posts
    84
    Quote Originally Posted by FeliXdk View Post
    I think you are generalizing a bit too much here, although some might work that way I really doubt that 99% refer their customers based on who pays best - and brokers do have value to add as well.

    Often brokers will have experience with multiple providers in an area, knowing which are easy to work with, who lives up to the clients requirements, who has capacity, who is best suited for special kinds of needs and so on. This knowledge can save the client from having to invest a lot of time and learning things the hard way on their own.

    Furthermore some larger companies prefer to be anonymous when they are in the initial stages of examining potential providers and gathering prices, in such cases brokers are also a great option.


    I would be weary of colo brokers.The partnerships established are based on commissions. And for some of the larger companies that are simply just placing out RFP's to get quotes on.
    The markups are generally higher in the first round of RFP's. Equating to the colo brokers adding any additional markup.

    I would do both. Check WHT, brokers and go direct.
      0 Not allowed!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Reston
    Posts
    305
    Quote Originally Posted by OCTrend View Post
    I would be weary of colo brokers.The partnerships established are based on commissions. And for some of the larger companies that are simply just placing out RFP's to get quotes on.
    The markups are generally higher in the first round of RFP's. Equating to the colo brokers adding any additional markup.

    I would do both. Check WHT, brokers and go direct.
    Not necessarily true. Any company working with a colo broker knows there are x amount of other companies competing on the same deal, and some brokers accept a lower fee than others.

    Colo brokers do allow a client to see other companies they might never find on a Google search, so I do like your suggestion to check all available options including self search, colo brokers, and WHT / other forums.
    Dan Buyer
    InfoRelay - Connected, Protected, Perfected.
    Equinix LAX & DC, One Wilshire, Wilshire Annex, MPT, VE, 1275K, Reston Exchange, Reston Equinix, 60 Hudson, NYC, and Chicago
    www.inforelay.com
      0 Not allowed!

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    451
    Quote Originally Posted by Spudstr View Post
    pickup the phone and call the datacenters yourself? Only thing a broker is good at is opening their mouth and collecting a commission. 99% of the time they will point you to whoever pays them the biggest payday.
    good luck with that...small select group of datacenters are on the map so to speak...the rest are hidden and only found by word of mouth or a broker.

    I know this from trying to find a local one....almost impossible to find any real list or locations...much less a number.

    and when you do get a number, you can spend literally weeks calling and mailing and still have no idea what they charge....

    they waste your time searching for them and then hiding their prices...it is insane and quite stupid.
      0 Not allowed!

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Reston, VA
    Posts
    3,131
    Quote Originally Posted by programguy View Post
    good luck with that...small select group of datacenters are on the map so to speak...the rest are hidden and only found by word of mouth or a broker.

    I know this from trying to find a local one....almost impossible to find any real list or locations...much less a number.

    and when you do get a number, you can spend literally weeks calling and mailing and still have no idea what they charge....

    they waste your time searching for them and then hiding their prices...it is insane and quite stupid.

    The ones that don't want to be found, don't want to be found for a reason. Most of them cater to a specific market/niche i.e goverment, hippa, pci etc and go after specific markets/customers.
    Yellow Fiber Networks
    http://www.yellowfiber.net : Managed Solutions - Colocation - Network Services IPv4/IPv6
    Ashburn/Denver/NYC/Dallas/Chicago Markets Served zak@yellowfiber.net
      0 Not allowed!

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    India
    Posts
    1,453
    whats the problem with quotecolo? its a good provider with quick response. you can check their plans.
    Quote Originally Posted by onx_ View Post
    Could anyone recommend any good colocation brokerage services (someone specializing in southern california would be great but not required), searching google has returned a ton of non-responsive websites that are either half-working, abandoned, or do not respond to emails. I'm already aware of quotecolo i just wanted to know if there are any others I can get in contact with as well? Thanks!
      0 Not allowed!

  19. #19
    It does help immensely to have a broker within driving distance of the facilities you are looking into. They are bound to have better intimate knowledge of the local facilities and can even come on tours with you.


    For California
    I would check out
    Rick Stensberg
    COLOpeople
    rdstenberg@colopeople.com
    800-550-5546
    925-846-9681
    www.colopeople.com

    For Seattle and the Northwest:
    David Berkey
    Co-Founder
    ColoFind, LLC
    david@colofind.net
    we find colo for you
    p. 206.801.0468
    c. 206.356.5873



    For East coast:
    Brandon Peccoralo
    ColoTraq
    bpeccoralo@colotraq.com
    Direct: (973) 975-4225
    Main: (973) 575-7997
    Fax: (973) 575-6963
    AIM: COLOTRAQSupport

    or

    Bob Spiegel
    Quotecolo.com
    bob@quotecolo.com
    617 640 0309 p
    859 818 1204 efax

    In Texas or the Southwest:
    Ted Persky
    info@colobids.com
    817-723-0470

    Let me know if you need more....
      0 Not allowed!

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV
    Posts
    858
    99% of the time they will point you to whoever pays them the biggest payday.
    There are of course exceptions to every rule, but by and large, this has been my experience with brokers, and I've been on both the buyers side and the providers side of the fence when dealing with them on many occasions.

    If you find a good broker that will make honest recommendations for you regardless of whether they will make more or less on the deal, run with it. It's just tough to know for sure until after you get a few months into a contract that there is no good way out of.
    Rob Tyree
    Versaweb - DDoS Protected Cloud and Dedicated Server Hosting
    Fiberhub - Affordable Colocation Services in Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
      0 Not allowed!

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Parsippany, NJ
    Posts
    13
    Sorry to arrive late to the game here.

    I can appreciate the comments about mark-ups and commissions and naturally that should be a concern. While this valid point and we agents (or "brokers") are commissioned by the providers themselves, your assumption that there is a price increase for using our services is not true.

    Some have a 100% vendor neutrality model whereby the company's commissions are standardized and static across all partnering agreements; therefore truly sourcing the best solutions for the customer, not for the agent's own wallet$.

    Agents are specialized, niche, and have been conducting data center research for years with hundreds of data center partners. Agents should know the market best, and for this reason they are subject matter experts that can educate, guide, and advise much better than any Google search can. There is a lot more to know than just data center specs and its address. Data is great, however when does it become information? Agents are your translation vehicle. Having a good data center guru in your corner is like having a good mechanic. You may know what you are doing, but are you getting your hands dirty all day everyday like he or she is?

    So while I completely understand why one may have an initial tentative position on working with "brokers", I would say be open and let someone "open their mouth"... You may just be surprised with the value they can bring to your IT initiative.
      0 Not allowed!

  22. #22
    Brokers or Agents can offer some great value, but they certainly do cut into the provider's bottom line. Also, I do not think that brokerages that try to cover nations or globes can truly know the specific markets that they sell into. Here in my market, we have brokerages that continuously send their clients into data centers with long histories of downtime and poor service. They either do not know the market or they are looking for the highest commission...

    In my opinion, if you are looking into a specific market, it would be best to deal with local technology consultants.
      0 Not allowed!

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Parsippany, NJ
    Posts
    13
    Quote Originally Posted by i2bsean View Post
    Brokers or Agents can offer some great value, but they certainly do cut into the provider's bottom line. Also, I do not think that brokerages that try to cover nations or globes can truly know the specific markets that they sell into. Here in my market, we have brokerages that continuously send their clients into data centers with long histories of downtime and poor service. They either do not know the market or they are looking for the highest commission...

    In my opinion, if you are looking into a specific market, it would be best to deal with local technology consultants.
    They can cut into your bottom line on deals yes naturally as negotiation is part of the job, yet in the same breath they can also "hit home runs" with other opportunities. Let's also not forget an agent isn't a salaried employee of the data center provider like the sales exec.

    Agents putting customers into crummy data centers seems like a quality control problem on the agent's side. It's imperative to get out and tour data centers with customers and moreover collect feedback as much as possible. A revenue retention group so to speak can also follow up with customers to ensure they are happy.

    Lastly, the agent community is not simple anymore. There are fully staffed, brick and mortar consulting companies who have all or some of these practices in place, while in the same umbrella of "agents" or "brokers" you also have folks with websites... and that's it. Search inquiry in, search inquiry blasted out. This website lead gen approach is a completely different breed and I would assume (and hope for that matter) that your unhappy experiences have been a result of this sort of business model.
    Last edited by COLOTRAQ-BP; 03-12-2012 at 05:05 PM.
      0 Not allowed!

Similar Threads

  1. Sedo Brokers
    By FreshFroot in forum Domain Names
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 06-22-2009, 03:05 AM
  2. cost of brokers
    By eming in forum Running a Web Hosting Business
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 06-18-2007, 11:22 AM
  3. any investment brokers around? :)
    By Lonny in forum Web Hosting Lounge
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 01-20-2005, 10:23 AM
  4. Best Domain Brokers
    By bandari in forum Domain Names
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 09-13-2003, 12:51 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •